I Read a Book in Four Days.
A year and a half ago, I would not have bragged about taking four days to read an average size novel. Unless it were the size of War and Peace or The Mists of Avalon, that would be something to shame-facedly, reluctantly confess, not to brag of. But that was before my stroke.
I am supposed to read as part of my cognitive therapy. But since my stroke (just over a year and a half ago) I find it difficult to concentrate, difficult to focus. It’s easier to reread what I’ve read before or to read something short (mostly fanfic) on FanFiction-dot-Net or AO3. but running errands Saturday we made an unscheduled stop at Barnes & Noble. My husband suggested in honor of our wedding anniversary we treat ourselves to a book each. He got a Rick Riordan novel. I got Mercedes Lackey’s Eye Spy. Lackey has been one of my favorite writers for thirty years.
I zipped through the first few chapters, lickety-split. The next day I read an equal amount of pages. I slowed down for the last few chapters Monday and Tuesday. I don’t know if Mrs. Lackey’s writing declined for the last few chapters, if my poor befuddled brain was worn out, or if I was too distracted by getting my contributor’s copy of Space Force: Building a Legacy which has my SF story “Dick Dibble’s Birthday.”
Eye Spy was a fun book, a fantasy espionage adventure. I don’t think it would make sense to someone who hasn’t read at least two or three other Valdemar novels. Eye Spy is the second book in the FAMILY SPY series, a direct sequel to THE HERALD SPY TRILOGY, which is a direct sequel to THE COLLEGIUM CHRONICLES. Abidela (Abi to friends and family) is the daughter of Herald Mags, who is the King’s chief spy, and his wife King’s Own Herald Amily. She is also the best friend of Herald-Trainee Kat (Princess Katiana). She sometimes acts as a discreet, unnoticeable bodyguard to the king’s daughter, having been trained in observation & analysis by her father, and in self-defense. No one pays attention to two young maidens running an errand together, especially in both are in Trainee Gray. However, a princess in jewels and velvet followed by two big hulking guards is a trifle conspicuous.
All three of Mags and Amily’s children have been trained in espionage since they could walk. Her big brother Perry is the hero of The Hills Have Eyes. It seems safe to assume the third volume will focus on her younger brother Tory. Abi (like other Lackey heroines before her doesn’t just want to be useful: She wants something “that would suit her uniquely.” Most people want to help and/or be useful. Lackey’s protagonists have a tendency to want to be helpful and useful in a way no one else is. Luckily for Abi. she is a Lackey protagonist, so she conveniently develops a Mind-Magic Gift previously unknown to the scholars of Valdemar. She can feel when a building or bridge isn’t right, when it’s under undue strain. By doing so, she is able to save lives when a bridge collapses and she is admitted into the ranks of the Blues. Longtime Lackey fans know the Blues, those students Unaffiliated with any of the three Collrgium (Healer’s, Herald’s, or Bardic) are more likely to be antagonists than heroes. Abi becomes a student Artificer, learning to become what we today would call a civil engineer. Since there is a long waiting list to join the ranks of the Student Artificers, some are upset when a royal protegee seems to jump the queue.
When foreigners in Menmellith appeal to Valdemar for help, Abi is sent with the humanitarian aid party because of her semi-trained gift. If they can impress the outlanders, they may petition to be annexed into Valdemar. Are Karsite priests up to their usual unholy tricks or is there a more mundane source to the problems?
Good book, and the first new novel I’ve read in four days or less since my stroke.
